Something Worth Fighting For
by L'Ecrivaine
Summary: Based on Season 9 spoilers. Clark reflects on his current nighttime activities and just might find something special while performing one of his routine saves.


A/N: Hello! This is my first fanfiction posting on this site, so I'm a little nervous about it. :) Be kind, please! I just wanted to write my feelings and thoughts about what could possibly happen in Season 9 based on the spoilers that have come out. Oh, and I don't know how to do this formally, but I would love to have a beta reader so I could improve my writing! Anyways, I hope you like the story! I wrote this initially as a one-shot, but it could possibly go somewhere if readers like it. Please review and I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville or any of the characters in this story.

He was no longer Clark Kent. He didn't feel any emotion, couldn't bring himself to feel anything at all. The one person who had made him _feel_ was no longer by his side, and her emptiness filled his entire being like nothing else had ever had before.

And so he threw himself into his duties as Metropolis's faithful hero, even finding the time to help other cities such as Gotham and Star City. With his human emotions safely locked away inside a deep recess in his body, he managed not to get emotionally attached (weak in his mind) to any of the people he rescued. He didn't know if he was still inspiring the "hope" that his photographer friend had once said the Red-Blue Blur was able to do, but that wasn't his main goal. He needed to help humans, and nothing could ever get in the way of that. Wearing the symbol of the House of El on his chest, he felt a sense of hollow pride that he was finally doing what his birth father wanted him to do. Helping the human race with such determination - this was what he had always known that he needed to do.

Even so, he knew it was the only way to keep himself busy, to keep his mind off of _her_, but truthfully, she was still in his every waking thought. At his weakest moments, he would find himself going to the same phone booth where he had promised to meet her as the "Red-Blue Blur," just to assure himself that she wasn't there, that she wasn't going to be there at all. He didn't know where she was, and every time he was there, he found himself thinking ironically that he never realized how much she actually meant to him until she had left him to get through the days without her constant presence beside him.

Then one day, exactly twenty-one days since he had found out she was gone, he saved a group of passengers from a monorail crash. He stopped the train from crashing, holding it up with his super-strength and then bringing it down gently onto the ground. Quickly, he opened the doors so that everyone could get out safely and then he super-sped away, calling 911 first and then watching from a distance to make sure everyone was exiting the train safely.

And then there she was.

His heart stopped.

She looked exactly the same, wearing a light pink tank top and a pair of dark blue jeans. Disoriented, she was looking around everywhere, wondering how she had gotten there. He watched from afar as she took in her surroundings and then started helping the passengers get off safely, making sure that everyone had exited the train.

Warmth flooded into his entire being as he watched her kindness, her compassion for people at work. He was feeling something, something he hadn't felt in three weeks. With everyone out safely, he saw that she checked the time on her watch and started running down the street with determination. Instinctively, he knew where she was going.

The phone booth wasn't far from the monorail crash, and she didn't waste any time in getting there. He stood on top of a building, watching her run to the phone booth and desperately pick up the phone. For a moment, he wondered why she was doing this – was she expecting a call from him after all this time? And then he noticed the ring she had in her hand, the one that was meant for him, the one with the "L" on it…

_She doesn't think any time has passed_, he realized with a jolt as he fixed his gaze on the Legion time-travel ring. How else could he explain her actions?

He could see her getting frustrated. She threw open the door to the phone booth and turned around in the same place, as if she was expecting to see him standing there, fulfilling his promise to her on that fateful day.

Impulsively, he super-sped past her and took the Legion ring, wanting to prevent any future harm from coming to her, wanting to prevent anyone or anything from taking her away from him again. Safely back on the rooftop a second later, he watched as realization dawned on her face and she started looking around everywhere, hoping for at least a glimpse of him.

"It's yours," he heard her whisper. "The ring…"

He couldn't bring himself to show her who he really was. It wasn't possible. She would be in even more danger now than ever before – all he had to do was remind himself of what the ring did to her and he knew he had to have enough control to prevent himself from racing down to meet her and crushing her to him. She could never know about his secret, the secret that had taken so many of his loved ones away from him.

"I know you're out there somewhere!" she cried desperately. "I promise you can trust me!"

He knew he shouldn't leave her hanging, but what else was he supposed to do? He needed to make sure that she was safe. And just seeing her again was enough to bring some life back into him in the events after Jimmy's death and after her departure. Not being able to help himself, he took out his cell phone, placed the voice modifier on it, and called the phone booth.

As soon as the phone started ringing, she ran towards it and picked it up, whispering a breathless, "Hello?"

He didn't answer, not knowing exactly what to say to her or why he was even calling her. He just needed her to know that he was still thinking about her, that he hadn't forgotten their meeting.

"I know you're there," she whispered into the phone. "Please, talk to me. Will you still let me see your face? I need to know that you're okay."

The way she spoke to him was so intoxicating. She was talking to him as if the knowledge that he existed was everything to her, and he couldn't help but take pride in the fact that he was the one who had created that excited look on her face.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Lane," he said softly into the phone.

She looked disappointed but unsurprised. He hurried to give her his explanation. "It's too dangerous for anyone to know my identity, Ms. Lane. People always end up dying because of it…I wouldn't be able to live with myself if that happened to you."

At his words, her face became visibly happier and she smiled softly. "Do I really mean that much to you?"

He couldn't stop himself from replying, "You have no idea, Lois."

She smiled widely at that. "I'm glad. You mean a lot to me too." She paused for a moment then added, "And if you ever need a friendly ear, don't hesitate to give me a call."

"I have already, haven't I?" He replied, smiling a little for the first time in three weeks.

She smiled and said quietly, "Yeah, you have." He put down the phone after that and watched her lean against the wall of the phone booth with a dazed look on her face. She looked happy and at peace with the world. He didn't know if she knew how much time had exactly passed since she had been here last, but he knew that he wouldn't dare disturb her thoughts at her peaceful moment.

As he stood there watching her, he realized that his whole body felt lighter than it had in three weeks. Knowing that she was safe and not having to constantly worry about where she was, it was freeing to him. While she was gone and even before the Doomsday chaos, his life had been filled with purpose. He had had a huge burden placed on him when he was sent to Earth – to help and protect humankind. As he was growing up, he knew he was saving people and fighting phantoms and other Kryptonians because it was the right thing to do. But now, watching Lois Lane leave the phone booth, he knew that he could continue saving the world because he now had something worth fighting for.


End file.
